England may have been shoddy by their own high Test standards throughout the first two days of this match: the bowling lacked the rigid discipline of Melbourne or Sydney. Certainly the fielding was sometimes slovenly, with missed run-outs and catches, when compared to the peaks reached during the Ashes series.

But thanks to the resolute duo of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott the echoes of that Ashes campaign grew ever louder. Both hit relentless centuries in an unbroken partnership of 240, which leaves England the side fervently hoping that the forecast rain somehow avoids Cardiff over the next two days.

This was Cook's fifth hundred in 10 Test innings, Trott's fourth in nine. Like the Kinks, the next man in, Kevin Pietersen, must be so tired of waiting.

Remember that TV advert for batteries? Well, Cook and Trott are the ones that keep going on – and on and on when the other less durable ones have stopped. Thus Sri Lanka's commendable first-innings total of 400 began to shrink.

The wicket appeared to have gone to sleep. Whether this was because there was a less potent attack operating upon it, or because rare glimpses of the sun have contrived to deaden the surface even more, is tough to gauge. But by the time the players left the field England could anticipate a substantial first-innings lead in this Test.

So the pattern of this Cardiff Test mirrored the first match against Australia two years ago with pressure descending upon the batsmen batting third, even though they had compiled 400 or more in their first innings. However, the weather forecast is more ominous this time.

Sunday and Monday will probably be significantly interrupted. Enough time may be lost to enable the tourists to draw the match, which may be a just result in view of how pluckily they have played. Given how the wicket has performed there may still be questions about whether it provides a satisfactory surface for Test cricket.

There are many slower, more docile pitches than this throughout the world, several in the Caribbean, some in the subcontinent. But that does not mean that Cardiff offers the ideal playing surface for a format of the game that requires eagle-eyed protection lest it is overrun by the various white-ball formats. It does not help much when a rare note of the day's proceedings reads, "5.40pm: Cook plays and misses." By then he had been batting for three hours and 20 minutes.

In 70 overs Sri Lanka could take just one wicket and that was a tail-end nightwatchman, and they conceded 240 runs. Moreover they did not bowl or field too badly. It may be a painful experience for them to adjust to the post-Murali era.

It was no surprise when Jimmy Anderson resumed his innings when play began at 2pm, but it made no sense. Overnight Anderson had been diagnosed with a grade one strain to his left side (this is better news than a grade two strain). Surely this diagnosis was sufficient for him to retire hurt and let the proper batsmen get on with the job.

Instead out came Anderson to face Ajantha Mendis. Soon he was lured by what looked like a wide half-volley. He had to stretch – quite possibly far enough to incur more damage to a dodgy back –to reach the ball and only succeeded in sending a catch to Mahela Jayawardene at slip.

So England had lost their second wicket and Mendis, whose form had been so flaky coming into this Test, had a little surge of confidence.

However, this did not disturb Cook or Trott greatly. Not much does. They scented a wonderful opportunity for risk-free Test runs and went about their business with impeccable, rather than enchanting, efficiency.

Captains, coaches and fast bowlers, who like to put their feet up in the dressing room, love batsmen like Cook and Trott. Spectators merely admire them. Those in the stands – and there were plenty of them considering the wintry conditions – may have pined for a glimpse of the panache and unpredictability of Pietersen or Eoin Morgan.

Instead they witnessed the skilful, ruthless accumulation of runs – "booking in for bed and breakfast" as Ken Barrington used to say. All very impressive but hardly uplifting. Perhaps it will be more interesting to see how Cook and Trott combine against a white ball when they will have to up the tempo.

At first this pair crawled along in watchful reconnaissance and in the knowledge that there were plenty of runs out there against a modest seam attack and spinners, who were struggling to get the ball off the straight. They seldom surprised us; they seldom alarmed those remaining nice and cosy in the dressing room.

Cook, like the good barber, was keen to cut and clip. Trott punched his low-risk drives unerringly as well as threading the ball through the leg-side. This was the Ashes revisited minus the tension and the heat. Soon the run-rate picked up to three per over.

The Sri Lankans bowled tidily but with an increasing air of resignation. The wind buffeted them as they set off towards the crease. Mendis was the most economical of the bowlers, and the most interesting, but it was a rare event for him to get the ball to deviate off the pitch. Rangana Herath tossed the ball into the wind in an old-fashioned, beguiling way but his left-arm-spinners neither turned nor troubled. The seamers were dutiful and determined to bowl on one side of the wicket.

Suranga Lakmal in his third Test was the best of a modest bunch. Underneath futile helmets Cook and Trott were still licking their lips as they left the field.